This invention pertains to a table assembly, and more particularly to a table assembly incorporating a foldable leg arrangement and including a wire management arrangement for accommodating wires and cables associated with equipment supported on a table top forming a part of the table assembly.
In applications in which electrified equipment is supported on a table top, it is known to provide a housing below the table top for accommodating cables or wires associated with equipment supported on the table top, and for mounting electrical and/or data receptacles for providing power and communication to connectors associated with such cables or wires. One such structure is shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 08/258,429 filed Jun. 10, 1994, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This application discloses a table or desk top having a power and communication housing fixedly mounted to its underside. Cables or wires extend through one or more openings in the table or desk top, and a movable cover is selectively engageable with the table or desk top for providing access to such wires or cables for connection to power and communication receptacles interconnected with the power and communication housing. The power and communication housing extends between a pair of fixed legs which are mounted to the table or desk top for supporting the table or desk top above a supporting surface such as a floor. While this type of table or desk structure functions extremely well in permanent installations, it is not well suited for installations in which folding of the table or desk is required for accommodating movement of the table or desk from one location to another and/or storage of the table or desk.
A folding table or desk is disclosed in Diffrient U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,657, which shows a wire management housing to which of the table or desk top is pivotably mounted for movement between an operative horizontal position and an inoperative folded position. The wire management housing is located between a pair of spaced legs, and each leg is pivotably mounted to an end of the wire management housing for movement about a vertical pivot axis between an operative position and a folded position. The legs are oriented such that when the table top is folded downwardly, the lower ends of the legs extend below the lower edge of the table top. While this table or desk is usable in installations requiring folding of the table components for movement or storage, the extension of the legs beyond the lower edge of the table top takes up an excessive amount of storage space. Further, the table cannot support itself when folded, and thus must be engaged with a supporting structure such as a wall or the like to prevent the folded table from tipping over.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding table assembly which incorporates a table top, a folding leg arrangement mounted to the table top, and a wire management structure, which is well suited for receiving cables or wires and which provides components which fold to a compact condition for movement and storage of the table assembly. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a table assembly in which the wire management structure functions to impart rigidity to the leg structure when the leg structure is in an operative extended position. A further object of the invention is to provide such a table assembly in which the wire management structure is adapted to be folded toward the underside of the table top when not in use, and in which the legs are foldable over the wire management structure. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a table assembly which is capable of supporting itself on a supporting surface, such as a floor, when the components of the table assembly are in a folded position. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a table assembly in which the leg structure and the wire management structure are self-supporting without connection to the table top, to facilitate removal and replacement of the table top. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a table assembly in which wires or cables can be positioned within a recess in each leg and placed within the internal cavity of the wire management structure without having to thread wires or cables through a passage in either the legs or the wire management structure. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a table assembly which is relatively simple in its components and manufacture, yet which provides highly satisfactory accommodation of wires or cables and movement of its components between folded and unfolded positions.
The invention generally includes a table top defining an upper surface and an underside, in combination with leg structure and a wire management housing or structure mounted below the table top. The leg structure is preferably in the form of a pair of spaced apart legs, each of which is pivotable toward each other to an inoperative folded position and away from each other toward an operative extended position. The wire management structure is mounted to and between the pair of legs, and is pivotable between an operative extended position and an inoperative folded position toward the underside of the table top.
Each leg includes a wire management recess extending throughout at least a portion of its length, and a cover is movably mounted adjacent the recess for movement between an open position and a closed position. The wire management structure includes an access member movable between an open position and a closed position for selectively providing access to an internal cavity defined by the wire management structure and selectively preventing access to the internal cavity. The legs and the wire management structure are oriented relative to each other such that the access member and the cover can each be in its open position at the same time. In this manner, wires or cables can be laid into the wire management recess in the leg and into the internal cavity of the wire management structure without having to thread such wires or cables into or through passages. When wires or cables are positioned in this manner within the wire management recess of the leg and the internal cavity of the wire management structure, the cover and the access member can subsequently be closed to maintain the wires or cables within the wire management recess and the internal cavity.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the wire management structure includes a front panel assembly movably mounted below the table top. A pivot connection is provided between the front panel assembly and each leg, such that the front panel assembly is pivotably mounted to and between the legs without connection to the table top. The pivot connection provides movement of the wire management structure between its operative extended position and its inoperative folded position. In a preferred form, the pivot connection is in the form of a hinge which connects the wire management structure to each leg. A cross brace member is mounted to the front panel assembly at a location spaced from the pivot connection. The cross brace member is releasably engageable with the legs when the legs are in their operative extended positions, for bracing the legs against lateral movement and for preventing movement of each leg toward its inoperative folded position. The cross brace member braces the legs against lateral movement and imparts rigidity to the overall structure of the table assembly. The cross brace member includes a pair of spaced ends, and an extendible and retractable engagement member is mounted to each end of the cross brace member for engagement within a recess associated with one of the legs when the wire management structure and the legs are in their operative extended positions. The extendible and retractable engagement member is disengageable from the recess for enabling the wire management structure and the legs to be moved to their inoperative folded positions. The access member is movable between its open and closed positions by means of a pivot connection interposed between the access member and the cross brace member.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the movable access member is capable of movement between an open position and a closed position when the wire management structure is in its operative extended position, and is movable to a collapsed position when the wire management structure is in its inoperative folded position. In this manner, the access member provides selective access to the internal cavity of the wire management structure when the wire management structure is in its operative extended position, and movement of the access member to its collapsed position functions to reduce the volume of space occupied by the wire management structure when the wire management structure is in its inoperative folded position. The legs are foldable over the wire management structure when the access member is in its collapsed position, and the collapsibility of the wire management structure functions to reduce the overall space requirements for the legs and wire management structure when in their inoperative folded positions, to provide a compact overall package for the folded table assembly for providing ease of movement and storage. The access member is preferably pivotably mounted to the cross brace member, and engagement structure is interposed between the access member and the cross brace member for releasably maintaining the access member in its closed position and for accommodating movement of the access member to its open position and to its collapsed position.
The various features and aspects of the invention may be employed separately, and each provides advantages in construction, assembly or use of a table assembly or components of a table assembly. Alternatively, the features and aspects of the invention may be used in various subcombinations or all together, for providing additional enhancements and advantages in construction, assembly or use of a table assembly.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.